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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nANOTHER BODY \u2013 A college student is at the center of this\nharrowing documentary. She discovers that a person is using AI technology to\nplace her into pornographic videos, post them online and state that they are\nreal. After contacting the police, she gets nowhere. They state that while\nhorrifying, his actions are not considered illegal. The young woman\ninvestigates herself, finds other acquaintances who have been targeted before\ncoming to a conclusion about who the culprit is. This documentary earned excellent\nnotices from critics. A very small number noted that while tackling an\nimportant issue, it didn\u2019t delve deeply enough into its subject or answer their\nquestions. Everyone else thought the film was stunning and disturbing,\ndetailing the abuse these women have faced and how anyone can be fooled by\ncruel individuals with a knowledge of today\u2019s technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nGODS OF MEXICO \u2013 This documentary takes viewers to rural\ncommunities in Mexico, where the population is resisting modernization. Using\nstriking photography, the filmmakers capture individuals at work and play,\nliving a life free from modern technology. The synopsis states that the film\nshows it is still possible to live tune with our essence as human beings. This\npicture did well on the festival circuit and received a positive response from\nthe press. A small number critiqued the film for focusing on visuals and not\nthoroughly interviewing the subjects or getting their insights, in the process\nkeeping viewers at a distance. However, the majority were wowed by the imagery\nand resourceful citizens featured. They suggested the observational approach\nallowed them to sit back and contemplate a different lifestyle\nchoice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN \u2013 Initially thrilled to learn that\nshe is expecting, a young woman soon begins experiencing aches and disturbing\nvisions. Initially, the lead is told that these pains are a normal part of\npregnancy. Yet the hallucinations and sensations become more and more extreme,\nmany of which involve breaking bones. As the months pass, she attempts to\ndetermine if what she is experiencing is an unexpected pregnancy side-effect or\nsomething more sinister. This Spanish-language co-production from Mexico and\nPeru earned solid write-ups from reviewers. A few of them suggested that the\ninteresting concept wasn\u2019t fully explored and didn\u2019t really have anything\nsignificant to say about the pains of motherhood. Still, most thought it was a\ncreepy, unsettling character piece that held their attention throughout. They\nalso complimented the film as being subtle in its analysis of the central\nsubject. It stars Natalia Soli\u00e1n, Alfonso Dosal and Mayra Batalla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIMPULSE \u2013 A young reporter determined to make her mark and\nfind out who really runs the world starts investigating figures involved in\nshadow governments, politics, high tech and banking. She decides to go deep,\ndeep, undercover, soon becoming the girlfriend of a man connected to these\nindividuals. After witnessing a couple of brutally violent acts on high-profile\ntargets committed by the cabal, the protagonist decides to reveal the\nconspiracy to the world. This independent thriller is a direct-to-disc effort\nthat has not been shown to the press. As with all of these types of low-budget\ntitles, one should not spontaneously seek it out. Instead, exercise caution and\nperhaps wait for a general critical reception to emerge. The cast includes\nDajana Gudic, Lou Ferrigno Jr., Nick Cassavetes. Paul Johansson and Jonathan\nKowalsky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nLOLA \u2013 Ever wondered what a World War II picture blended\nwith science-fiction elements might look like? This independent effort from\nGreat Britain follows two sisters living during wartime. The pair build a\nmachine that can capture radio and TV broadcasts from the future. They decide\nto find a way to record the intel they hear and get it into the hands of the\nmilitary and others who can help stop Nazi forces. But along the way the pair\ndiscover that the instrument\u2019s power can also have a negative impact on the\nfuture. The majority of reviewers enjoyed this unique tale, which was released\nlast year in the UK. One or two complained that the cinematography was\nimpressive but the script didn\u2019t develop its lead characters properly.\nRegardless, the consensus was that the feature had good performances, a strong\nmessage and left viewers with plenty to think about. Emma Appleton and Stefanie\nMartini headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nLOVE LIFE \u2013 In this foreign-language Japanese melodrama, a\nhappily married couple are enjoying life while raising their son (who is from\nthe wife\u2019s previous marriage). A big wrinkle is put into their relationship\nwhen the husband\u2019s ex-girlfriend appears out of the blue. Things become even\nmore tense and challenging after the wife\u2019s ex-husband appears, now deaf and\nhomeless, asking the leads for assistance. Overall, the press was taken in by\nthis feature. A small group commented that the story added a few too many\nexaggerated elements and was so low-key that it didn\u2019t muster up much drama.\nHowever, the consensus was that the picture was heart-wrenching and managed to\nmake viewers understand the unique pain felt by its characters. It stars Fumino\nKimura, Kento Nagayama and Atom Sunada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMADAME WEB \u2013 The latest Marvel comic book adaptation is this tale of a lesser-known character in the Spider-Man universe. It begins with a researcher of rare spiders in Peru being injured and giving birth just before her death. The orphaned child grows up to be a paramedic in New York. One day, she begins having visions of the future. After having a premonition of three teenage girls being killed by a menacing figure, the protagonist decides to use her powers to save them. She also tries to understand the nature of these visions by traveling back to Peru. In general, the press savaged this superhero title. A handful liked the lead actress and claimed to be amused by how strange and off-kilter the final product was. Everyone else thought the dialogue was corny, the story full of plot holes, the editing jarring, the sound design clunky and the overall tone baffling. This title will be available as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo or as a standalone Blu-ray. The cast includes Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O\u2019Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts and Adam Scott. Read a full review of the movie here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n MAD PROPS \u2013 Horror movie fans and hobbyists may be intrigued\nby this documentary. It tells the story of Tom Biolchini, a film enthusiast who\nover the years has amassed a large collection of horror movie props. The\nfilmmakers examine growing interest in purchasing authentic movie memorabilia,\ncomparing the process to purchasing classic paintings and sculptures. Even some\nof the actors who used the props in the films get involved, sharing their\nthoughts and insights on these pieces of cinematic history. Critics who have\nseen the picture have been upbeat about it. They write that while it takes a\nwhile to make its case, this is a sweet, enjoyable and enthusiastic documentary\nwith some interesting insights about movie props and their importance in\npopular culture. It features interviews with Robert Englund, Mickey Rourke,\nLance Henriksen and make-up and effects artist Alex Gillis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MEAN GIRLS \u2013 Based on a stage musical inspired by the 2004\nfilm, this reimagining tells the story of a teen entering an American high\nschool after time abroad. She\u2019s introduced to various female cliques and\ndecides to infiltrate the institute\u2019s most powerful group. Of course,\nwitnessing their horrible behavior encourages her to try and dismantle the\npower of these cruel leaders. Overall, critical reaction was more positive than\nnegative towards this musical. Nearly one-third asserted that the film was no\nmatch for the original and felt like a tame, duller take on the story. Still,\nmore appreciated the music and thought it was a decent modernization that\ndelivered enough laughs to earn a recommendation. The movie will be available\neither on 4K Ultra HD or as a standalone Blu-ray. Angourie Rice, Rene\u00e9 Rapp,\nAulii Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney, Jenna\nFischer, Busy Phillips, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jon Hamm and Lindsay Lohan\nheadline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MY DIVORCE PARTY \u2013 A woman about to finalize a divorce\nbrings some of her friends together for a celebration. She tells them that\nsince her ex will receive half of her estate in 48 hours, the group should do\nall they can to spend her savings on a wild bash. The worried friends go along\nwith the plan but show concern for the divorcee\u2019s well-being as the weekend\nprogresses, creating conflict in the process. As of this writing, almost no\ncritics have seen the film. There is only one online review stating that it\u2019s\nnice to see a movie about women and their support network. Otherwise, there\nisn\u2019t any way to gauge whether or not this is a party to catch or to miss. For\nthe time being, it will be a DVD-only and streaming release. Rumer Willis,\nKimia Behpoornia, Michelle Meredith, Dionne Gipson and Laith Ashley take on the\nlead roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ORDINARY ANGELS \u2013 Inspired by true events that took place in\n1994, a Kentucky-based hairdresser and recovering alcoholic struggles to find a\nsense of meaning in her life. When the lead hears about a local widower caring\nfor his critically ill daughter and carrying a huge financial debt, she decides\nto try and help him out. The woman ultimately rallies the entire community to\nraise funds and help the youngster get treatment. This faith-based feature\nearned generally upbeat notices. A handful suggested that the motivations for\nthe main character\u2019s behavior weren\u2019t made as clear as needed and that the\npacing was problematic. However, the majority thought the lead performance was\nso good that it made up for the story issues. They also wrote that it wasn\u2019t as\nheavy-handed as anticipated and that viewers would find it positive and\ninspiring. It stars Hilary Swank, Alan Richson, Emily Mitchell, Skywalker\nHughes and Nancy Travis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE PROMISED LAND \u2013 This Danish period drama is based on\nreal figure Ludvig Kahlen in the 1700s. After serving in the army for 25 years,\nhe decides to use his tiny pension and move to a rural area in order to build a\nhome and a farm (and gain a noble title in the process). But after arriving, he\ndiscovers a government figure and landowner are plotting to take all the land\nand develop it for their own use. Bitterness rises as the protagonist fights\nfor his property. Reviews were excellent for this foreign-language film and it\nwas considered last year for an International Film Oscar (apparently, it just\nmissed making the final nominee list). Naturally, the film received an\nextremely positive reception. Only one or two disliked the picture, describing\nit as dry and predictable. Everyone else thought it was a smart, powerful and\nengaging Nordic western that tackled class issues effectively and boasted a\nwonderful lead performance. The cast includes Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin and\nSimon Bennebjerg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n REBEL \u2013 When a Belgian rapper with Moroccan roots hears\nabout the ongoing violence in Syria, he decides to travel to the country and\nhelp the local citizens out as a volunteer. But soon after arriving, the\nprotagonist finds himself in the middle of a warzone and is forced to join an\narmed group in order to survive. Back home, his younger brother is targeted and\nrecruited by members of the Islamic State. The lead\u2019s family struggles to stay\ntogether as they are pushed apart by the circumstances surrounding them. This\nBelgium, France, Luxembourg co-production earned plenty of raves. One or two\nwrite-ups described the film as overbaked and oversimplified. Yet the majority\nwere gripped by the drama, calling the story stunning. They described it all as\nhard to watch, but extremely compelling in displaying the horrors endured by\nfamilies due to the acts of fanatics. It features Aboubakr Bensaihi, Lubna\nAzabal and Tara Abboud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ROADKILL \u2013 A young woman driving alone in a rural community\npicks up a drifter wandering down the road. She agrees to give him a ride if he\ncan provide her with directions. With radio DJs warning that a fugitive killer\nis on the loose, they stop at a local diner, where events take a violent turn.\nViewers ultimately learn who the maniac is and watch to see if anyone involved\nwill survive. This independent picture has been available to steam for a few\nmonths and is now arriving on disc. There aren\u2019t a lot of reviews for it online\nand the ones that have appeared are mixed. A couple of them complimented the\nnarrative as being fast-paced and twisty. The same number called it a weak and\nineffective genre picture that isn\u2019t clever enough to make a lasting impression.\nThe cast includes Caitlin Carmichael, Ryan Knudson and Danielle Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SCALPER \u2013 This indie chiller involves a psychic dealing with\nthe return of a masked maniac who presumably scalps victims. Despite being\nthought dead for many years, the protagonist begins having visions of the\nfigure returning and killing those close to her. Of course, it isn\u2019t long\nbefore bodies pile up once again. The lead decides to go deeper into her\nvisions to find out if it is a copycat or the same man returning from the dead.\nThis low-budget effort is actually a sequel to the 2021 film Night Caller<\/em>\nthat has been streaming for a while and is now appearing on disc. Only a\nhandful of genre film critics who specialize in these types of titles have seen\nit. They suggest that it is a reasonable effort that will entertain fans of\nthese types of pictures and has an effectively grimy quality. Susan Priver,\nJake Busey, Bai Ling and Kate Patel headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SWEET DREAMS \u2013 After getting into trouble, a recovering\nalcoholic is forced to spend time at a sober living facility. While there, it\nis suggested he coach a misfit softball team made up of housemates. Desperate\nto get back to his family, the protagonist agrees. Bonds unexpectedly form\nbetween the players and when they learn that their building is about to be\nclosed, the group compete in a tournament to win the necessary funds to save\nthe program. The picture earned more positive notices than negative ones. About\none-third thought the sobriety drama didn\u2019t mix with the silly sports subplot\nand that the end result was a mess. But many more thought the cast were likable\nand the movie was sweet and well-intentioned enough to make up for the it\u2019s\npredictability. This is a DVD-only release (it also appeared on streaming\nplatforms a couple of weeks ago). It stars Johnny Knoxville, Kate Upton, Bobby\nLee, Jay Mohr, Brian Van Holt, Theo Von and Gata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WORLD WAR III \u2013 This foreign-language drama\/dark comedy from\nIran involves a widower who loses his wife and son in an earthquake. Years\nlater, he works on a construction site and slowly develops a relationship with\na deaf and mute woman. One day, a film crew shows up to make a movie about\nWorld War II and the atrocities committed by Hitler. The shy and pleasant lead\ndraws the attention of the filmmakers, who offer him a prominent role in their\nmovie. But as the production continues and his girlfriend arrives to ask for\nhelp, his attitude begins to change. The film earned unanimous praise from\nreviewers who saw it. They all found it disquieting, stating that the picture\nexpertly mixed elements of both the story and story-within-the-story. According\nto them, the movie subtlety makes viewers wonder about the class system, as\nwell as power and corruption. It features Mohsen Tanabandah and Neda Jebraeili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a very busy week if anyone is interested in catching up\nwith older titles. Arrow Video is delivering a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d 4K Ultra HD\nedition of the cult horror\/comedy Basket Case<\/em> (1982). It follows a\nseemingly ordinary young man who arrives at a seedy motel in Manhattan with a\nlarge wicker basket. He visits several nervous doctors who end up being\nbrutally murdered. What exactly is in the basket? Well, if you\u2019re familiar with\nthe picture, then you already know. If not, this is a wild one, with plenty of\ngruesome moments and over-the-top humor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Museum of Modern Art in New York has given the film a new 4K restoration. It comes with a commentary featuring writer\/director Frank Henenlotter (Brain Damage, Frankenhooker<\/em>) and star Kevin VanHentenryck, a cast and crew archival commentary, an interview with the lead character in the film (shot by Henenlotter as a fake documentary), a normal interview with the star, a 2017 talk with the director, discussions with other cast members, a featurette on the producer, the casting director\/actor, associate producer\/special effects artist, and \u201cBelial\u201d performer, a talk with critic Joe Bob Briggs (who helped draw attention to the feature), footage from the 2017 restoration premiere, a feature-length documentary about the Basket Case<\/em> trilogy, an archival location featurette, and a video essay on \u201cfreaks\u201d in cinema. You\u2019ll also get Henelotter\u2019s noted 1976 30-minute film Slash of the Knife<\/em>, outtakes from the main feature and the 1976 title, a 2017 animated short inspired by the movie, extensive publicity materials and much more. Additionally, it comes with a special slipcover with new artwork, a reversible sleeve with original and the newly commissioned art along with a double-sized fold-out poster and a booklet with writing on the film. No Blu-ray is included. Besides the regular \u201cLimited Edition\u201d the Arrow Video website is offering an edition with different and even more limited cover art. Read a full review of the 4K Ultra HD release here!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tin Star<\/em> (1957) is a well-regarded western arriving from the same distributor as a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray. It\u2019s about an ex-sheriff turned bounty hunter who decides to help out a young, newly appointed lawman having trouble with his job. The movie stars Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins. It arrives with a film historian commentary, a new critical appreciation of the film, a discussion with the son of score composer Elmer Bernstein, a trailer, an image gallery, a reversible sleeve with original and new art for the picture, a fold-out poster containing the same works, six postcard-sized reproduction lobby cards, and an illustrated booklet with press notes and writing on the feature. Read a full review of the disc by clicking on this link!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Arrow is putting out a \u201cStandard Edition\u201d of\nthe recent release Barbarella<\/em> (1968) in 4K Ultra HD or Blu-ray. The same\ngoes for Conan the Barbarian<\/em> (1982) and Conan the Destroyer<\/em>\n(1984). Additionally, a standard Blu-ray of Witness<\/em> (1985) is also being\nmade available for those who missed it when it came out early in the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fantastic arthouse label Radiance Films also has a couple of noteworthy Blu-ray titles. The first is Misunderstood<\/em> (1966), an Italian drama about a precocious boy who, it is soon revealed, is trying to deal with the tragic death of his mother. The original negative has been given a 2K scan for this release, and it comes with an archival interview with a critic on the movie, a 2008 interview with the late director\u2019s daughter and the film\u2019s co-screenwriter discussing the film. There\u2019s also a featurette about the filmmaker\u2019s experiences working with kids and a trailer. Click this link to read a review of the Blu-ray.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/DVD-Mad-Props-doc-fixed.jpg\")
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